Wow… it’s been some year
1. Thoughts on the year
Wow, this has been quite a year. I honestly was looking at the graduation photo that I took back in March of this year, and I actually can’t believe time flies that fast.
I have also realized how much I have grown, in all aspects(business, mindset, physically, mentally).
Honestly, although I didn’t hit many of the goals I set previously at the beginning of the year, I consider this year a success because I learned a lot from experience. Yeah, I know that it sounds like a cop-out or a cliche, but it’s honestly not. I actually attempted many things and threw myself into deep waters, forcing myself to learn how to swim and adapt.
I attempted things, bold things, and didn't quite succeed to the extent that I thought I would, but for some reason… I like that… I like being stuck… I like going back to the drawing board.
At the beginning of the year, I was participating in a 75-day challenge, I managed to successfully complete it on my first try, I also woke up at 5 am every weekday in February and ran outside in -20 degrees weather. That ought to make you mentally tough don’t you think.
Anyways, this year was so far the most pivotal year of my life. Yes I know, I am only 19, but still, I have a right to say that… come on
By the grace of God, the pandemic and quarantine actually had the biggest most positive impact on my life(didn’t see it at first, but I can look back and see it now). I am grateful to be in the position I am in and will continue to chase after my goals in a bold yet humble manner.
This quote sums up my year
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth — Mike Tyson
Life hit me at times this year, quite hard, but guess what, every time it hit me… I got back up. I didn’t stay down, complain, and give excuses, I got back up, looked life in the face, and said “Really? That’s all you got? You're gonna need something stronger than that”. And dammit, there is beauty in that statement.
In life, you either do things or you don’t. There's no trying, only in very special cases is there trying. But I firmly believe, you cannot give yourself a way out. You have to make failure not an option.
I don’t understand how some people say, “Oh, I’ll try and go the gym 3 times this week” or “I’ll try and read this book”, it’s like…WRONG. You either do it or you don’t. None of this trying bullshit. Special cases may apply, but not regularly.
2. Lessons Learned
- Self-love is discipline
I often hear people talk about this whole self-love phenomenon. Self-love comes from discipline, not from sitting on your couch doing nothing and wondering why you should love yourself. Look this may sound harsh, but make yourself loveable.
I believe, we all have an inherent amount of self-love, but it gets depleted when we start to lose self-respect.
So, if you find yourself not having self-love, make yourself loveable by doing cool things like working on your passion, or doing difficult things, attempting to do the most ambitious things.
It is this beautiful pursuit of doing things that are difficult and make you uncomfortable, that helps you find out who you really are. Then, you begin to love yourself in the right way.
- You have to be capable of being ruthless
Look, this might seem controversial, but in life, you have to be ruthless quite often.
Saying ‘no’ even though you know it will hurt the other person's feelings, or going out in the world and getting done what needs to be done regardless of how other people may feel about it.
You have to be capable of just putting emotion aside and being straight-up ruthless, feelings don’t matter because I need to get done what needs to be done, and no matter who is in my way, I will push past and get it done.
You have to be able to turn on your inner lion mentality.
- Nice guys finish last
Nice guys finish last for a reason, they’re nice. In life don’t be nice, be a good-hearted person who is often kind. Not nice.
Nice means… to be quite frank… you don’t have the balls to stand up for yourself and get the job done. Look, the real world is tough, no one really gives a shit about your feelings as much as you may think.
This is why you should be a good-hearted human being who is often kind and yet, is still capable of being ruthless.
- Don’t judge people because everyone has lived different events
Look, I’ll be honest here for the 2 people who read my blog… I used to be very judgy and now have reduced it significantly but I still need to improve.
I find what helps me is realizing that the circumstances I have been given vary significantly to the person I am often judging, so who am I really to judge someone when I haven’t been in their shoes.
This thought often helps me, also, I sometimes realize how easy it really is to fall into the societal trap of doing things that are socially accepted but in reality make no sense. People try their hardest to fit in… it’s like why? You were born to stand out, go out there and crush it. You’re supposed to be yourself, not anyone else!
3. Conclusion
This year has been a rollercoaster, but I’m a fan of roller coasters… well I wasn’t at first but now I am.
If you’ve made it all the way down here, I would just like to say I appreciate you taking out the time to read my blog, I find writing is a great way to communicate my thoughts in a structured manner and it often destresses me.
I always leave you with a quote but this time I will leave you with two quotes, so here are the two I chose:
“Life consists of two days, one for you and one against you. So when it’s for you don’t be proud or reckless, and when it’s against you be patient, for both days are a test for you” — Ali Ibn Abi Talib
“A harmless man is not a good man. A good man is a very, very dangerous man who has it under voluntary control.” — Jordan Peterson
To those of us who are out there every day working on making our dream become a reality, to us I say… Greatness is coming.
